Journal of Information and Communication Research
Online ISSN : 2186-3083
Print ISSN : 0289-4513
ISSN-L : 0289-4513
Volume 39, Issue 1
Displaying 1-2 of 2 articles from this issue
  • Users’ Rights to Their Own Portraits as CG Avatars
    Shinichiro HARATA
    2021 Volume 39 Issue 1 Pages 1-11
    Published: 2021
    Released on J-STAGE: June 29, 2021
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

    In recent years, entertainers who are called “Virtual YouTuber (VTuber)” have enjoyed popularity especially among young people. They post videos or stream live on the Internet appearing as CG avatars not living bodies. In this paper, the author examines the legal grounds of VTubers’ rights to their own portraits expressed as CG avatars. The author surveys the legal precedents and theories of portrait rights up to now and examines the necessity and possibility of expanding the rights both in terms of object and content. First, I discuss what a ‘portrait’ is and whether VTubers’ CG avatars can be regarded as portraits of the person behind the avatar. Second, I discuss what a ‘portrait right’ is and whether it could include the rights of excluding the unauthorized uses of CG avatars and of maintaining the use of one’s own avatar.

    Download PDF (540K)
feedback
Top